The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1887-02-10
HILLSIDE bitches.
An Expert Tells What He Knows About
These Land -Preservers.

through your most excellent paper
to echo the bugle blast from hill
side to hillside throughout the
country. ] am frequently asked
"what fall do you give hillside
ditchesT' l prospose to answer
this and ventilate a few ideas that
at least have the virtue of orr ginal
ity. 1t Is apparent to every obser-
want man that our virgin soil is be
ing borne rapidly away upon the
bosom of the boisterous food.
This has been the fate of many
counties in Virginia and other old
states. L hey are now bankrupt and
deserted. With these sentinels in
the watch tower pointing to the
breakers, will we drive madly on 10
destruction? Men, in the name Of
reason, if we intend to stay in this
country and not go west, shall we
not use every expedient to stop this
inestimable and hazardous waste?
The old Dutchman was right who
declared that most Of this country
was unfit for cultivation because
the soil would soon disappear,
leaving barren waste of Gaping
gullies and dry rookie. Accepting
the situation as we now find it,
these hills must Of necessity be
cultivated. 1t was demonstrated
in the farmers meeting that without
the aid of the hillside ditch they
should soon be sown down to per-
manent pasture, or cultivated not
oftener than every other year. I
have run perhaps two thousand of
these bitches and noted the result
more carefully than any other man
in the county. propose to give
the reader the benefit. Expert
ence has worked slowly and estab-
lished among our farmers the uni
form, and may say, stan dard fall
Of four inches in twelve feet. This
fall might accidentally work pretty
well, but the chances are against it
/. If the hill is steep it will I'LL,
because the heavy rainfall flowing
rapidly down the steep hillside will,
because of it's rapid motion, carry
down large quantities of dirt, sand
and gravel; entering the ditch its
momentum is lost because expend-
ed at right angels to its new direc-
ton, its velocity is diminished be-
cause of the less incline of the ditch,
and consequently it Immediately
drops its debris, soon fills and
bursts over. 2. If the ditch passes
along steep declivity at any point
in its course for the same reasons
as above it will fill at that point.
3. If there Is a sharp bend in the
ditch it will fill there, because the
momentum of the current is largely
expended against the outer bark in
making the curve, its velocity re-
tarded and burden drops. 4. 1t
will eli where it crosses a gully and
# very long, even on moderate
slope, it may fill at upper end, and
will cut at lower, because near the
head there is but little water, and
its motion will be slow upon SO
slight incline, consequently 1t has
but little power to sweep out q
| possible deposit. 1t would cut al
the lower end because as the vol
ume of water increases, its velocity
increases, and the ditch being long
it would acquire such momentum as
to tear up the very bottom of the
ditch.
There then you have an Index tc
my theory and practice too, for to-
night after the fury of the storm the
water in many thu ndreds of my
bitches as they wind around the
hills in their serpentine course like
silver threads, reflects back the
light of the pale moon. For rea
sons above you will see at once that
a ditch should not have the same
fall of four inches in every location
nor should the fall be uniform
throughout. The fall should con
form to the location, varying il
extreme cases from D to 81 inche:
per twelve feet. Where the hill il
very steep begin with the maxi
mum fall, and diminish with the
length more or less according to th'
irregularity of the slope. Where
the decline is moderate I begin
with Al inches and slightly dimin
ish the fall to the end Of the ditch
except, first, when l encounter
steep slope as l pass around tn
hill-here / in crease the fall TO sui
the case. Second, from the irregu
larity of the ground there is
sharp curve, here l increase the fal
to balance lost velocity. Third
where a gully is crossed l drop
!, few inches more or less on the ext
bank depending on the size Of TIA
gully and surroundings. If til
! soil is gravelly and hard to cut, Civ
more fall; if clay, give medium
) if sandy, give just as little as will
possibly answer. These bitches
: run with my transit compass as fss
as a man can walk, and thus put j
l guarantee them to work like
charm from end to end, satisfyin
I. the most exacting far beyond thei
f most sanguine expectation, and
D you are not careful the idea will OF
s cur to you as to certain goo
: farmer near Elkton last weel
"what fool have been not to ha '
had the benefit of these ditche
sooner"
:. Now comes the question, aftt
e they are cut with the plow) sha
1t we cultivate on a level? Many wi
a answer yes. But is it practical
Y possible? And if the hill is vel
e steep will not the water burst ov'
: the ridges, tearing away broad bel
1t of soil. Every observant farmer hi
<. noticed this. And if you, with
e without bitches, endeavor to ri
f. the rows near level by the ey
re what is the result? 1t is just thi
Wherever there is or has been
gully or a depression, to this poi
the rows will bring the water fro
ID both directions, tearing out Il
e, middles as it comes, and unitir
y, their forces into a battalion
g strength will rip off the soil ar
n soon cut frightful gully; and VIII
l. is worse, the soil will be about +,
1t gone for many feet on both side